The ancient parish of Westbury was one of the largest in Wiltshire.
Its 10,000 acres ran from Heywood to Dilton and from Chapmanslade to
Bratton. The town was located in the centre. The rising of several springs,
notably Bitham and Wellhead, provides a good supply of water and influenced
the location of the settlement here.

Its name derives from West Burgh, presumably the fortified place in
the west of the county.

In 1086 the Domesday Book, the earliest documentary reference to Westbury,
describes an estate of about 5,000 acres, previously held by Edith, wife
of the Saxon King Edward the Confessor, but now William I. Its population
was probably in the region of 600.

The medieval town developed in the areas now bounded by West End, Edward
Street, Bratton Road and Alfred Street. A borough was established to
create a trading centre based on a weekly market and annual fair granted
in 1252 and added to in 1291.

Westbury’s position as the only parliamentary borough in West
Wiltshire is reflected today in the parliamentary constituency being
named after it.

Ecclesiastically Westbury was, until the mid 19th century, a ‘peculiar’ parish,
unusual in that instead of being under the jurisdiction of the Bishop
of Salisbury it was managed first by the precentor or chantor of Salisbury
Cathedral who was overseen by the Dean of the Cathedral.

Westbury was an important centre in the production of high-quality cloths
for which the west of England was renowned throughout the world. The
town prospered as a result until the mid 19th century when more cheaply
produced lower grade cloths from northern England provided competition.
Angel Mill and Bitham Mill, however, continued in operation until 1969.

The railway brought economic benefits to the town in its own right but
why was the station placed so far from it? The main reason being the
need for easy gradients and minimal earthworks. The direct line from
London to Westbury and onto Taunton was not built until 1901.

The pattern of employment in Westbury has changed considerably in the last
hundred years. The traditional industries of woollen manufacturing, gloving
and iron ore production have been replaced by light engineering and on
the West Wilts Trading Estate and the Blue Circle Cement Works. Most resident
wage earners, however, work outside, notably in service industries in Trowbridge
or further a field.